Sengoku and Bunta are seemingly in love, despite being in different schools, but will the meeting of Sengoku and Rikkai's 'baby' change all that? SengokuBunta. Later SengokuKirihara. Maybe other couples.

Summary: Sengoku and Bunta are seemingly in love, despite being in different schools, but will the meeting of Sengoku and Rikkai's 'baby' change all that?

Pairing[s]: Some SengokuKirihara. A hint of SanadaBunta. Maybe some OOCness.

Rating: M [this chapter] Language.

Disclaimer: If I owned Prince of Tennis, then it would have nothing to do with tennis.

Lucky To Fall In Love

Chapter 3

"You what?" Bunta shouted through the phone, causing Sengoku to wince and pull it away from his ear. "You said that you wouldn't do anything with him!"

"I didn't. I just slept over his house. His mother asked me to, so I did."

"You kissed him!"

"I know. But trust me, nothing happened beyond that. I love you Bunta, you're the only one I want to be with."

"Quit trying to act all romantic. You won't be forgiven for subtly begging me to."

"I'm sorry Bunta. But please don't be angry."

"Why shouldn't I be? You kissed someone else while you're dating me! And him of all people! What's wrong with you Kiyosumi?" The smaller redhead began coughing into the phone and groaned when he was done. "Ugh, my throat hurts too much to keep arguing with you. Don't come to visit me for a while, even when I'm feeling better. I'm going now."

Wait Bunta! How are we going to make this better if we can't even see each other?"

"Because you'll just try to get me to forget about it with sex! That's your answer to everything and I'm not in the mood for it!"

"If you want to talk it out, then I'll do it. I just don't want you to be mad at me."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have gone near him." The line went dead and Sengoku sighed, flipping his phone shut before letting it drop onto his bed.

He knew he shouldn't have admitted what had happened between him and Kirihara, but his conscience was making him feel overly guilty. Bunta was his boyfriend so he shouldn't go around kissing other boys. But seeing that usually angry face looking so relaxed and that rare, happy smile show up, Sengoku couldn't control himself and before he had known it, his lips had been against Akaya's.

It was quick, much like kisses between a parent and their children, but it still got the redhead's heart racing and adrenaline pumping so that when he finally realized what he had done, he was able to easily run away, leaving Kirihara looking just as shocked as he himself felt.

Sengoku rubbed his eyes and lay back against his bed. Why didn't he just listen when Kirihara told him to stay away? He would have saved himself from pissing off his now potential ex-boyfriend and possibly causing a feud between the two shortest Rikkaidai regulars.

But then again, he never would have found out about Kirihara's family and what happened within the four walls of their home. Akaya needed someone to know about the abuse he took day in and day out from his own parents and after he had, he seemed an almost completely different person. He had been acting surprisingly nice, and anger hadn't been his major motivation for the rest of the night after he had shown his injuries to Sengoku.

That just made the redhead want to see Kirihara even more; to help him better cope with his living conditions. He had seen personally just how soft-spoken and shy the junior could be and although the tantrums were adorable, Sengoku much preferred the side of Akaya that didn't involve hurting anyone - physically or emotionally.

But, how would he be able to do that without upsetting Bunta even more? He was already in deep shit with the pink-haired boy and if he tried to talk to Kirihara again, then his lover would definitely fly off the handle.

"Ugh, I thought I was supposed to be lucky!" He suddenly whined, squirming around on his bed. "This isn't a lucky situation at all!"

This was it; this was his perfect serve. The ball was thrown up perfectly, his arm was at the ideal angle, his back was arched beautifully and his feet left the ground at the perfect time, at the perfect height. He just had to wait for the right moment and-

"You!"

Kirihara heard the voice just as he swung, throwing off his focus. He missed the ball, tripped forward and almost landed on his already cut up face.

"What the fuck was that for?" He shouted, getting up off his knees as he shouted at Marui while the smaller boy ran over to him. "That was my best serve ever and you screwed it up!"

"What do you mean 'what the fuck'? I should be the one asking that!" Bunta and Kirihara growled at each other as they got up in each other's face. "Who the hell do you think you are?"

"What the fuck do you mean by that?"

"You! You kissed my boyfriend!"

"Yeah right! Like I would willingly kiss that fucking pervert!"

"Then what do you call pressing lips with him, huh 'baby boy'?"

"Don't you fucking call me that!"

"Then don't be touching my boyfriend, you little slut!"

Kirihara's eyes suddenly widened, and his mind instantly flashed back to the last time he had been beaten. His father had called him that name at least four times as he was slapped, punched and tossed around his own bedroom. Then the man had laughed at him while he cried in a miserable heap on the floor because of the freshly made cigarette burns marring his back and stomach. Of course, Bunta wasn't aware of that and was only trying to vent his jealousy and anger out on the one he believed was to blame.

Akaya however, was beginning to see red; he didn't care whether Bunta knew of the abuse he received or not; he didn't want to be called that name by anyone. "You fucking bastard!" He shouted, bringing back his fist before punching Marui square in the face.

The pink-haired boy stumbled back; caught by Niou as the rest of the tennis team gathered to see what all the shouting was about. Blood streamed from the smallest regular's nose out onto his shirt and he clung to Niou as the 'baby' lunged at him, his eyes red like when he was attacked in tennis.

"Akaya!" The trickster yelled as he held out a hand to stop Kirihara but he still got to Bunta and grabbed at the shorter boy's hair, roughly yanking his head to the side before the 'baby' began punching him again.

"You fucking asshole! I hate you!" He screamed, watching more and more blood pour from Bunta's face.

"What are you talking about? I never laid a finger on you!" Bunta shouted back, now being held by the trickster as he tried to rush at Kirihara.

"Akaya, he never touched you." Yanagi agreed and Kirihara's struggling immediately slowed. His eyes squeezed shut and he suddenly collapsed, leaving Renji to completely support his weight. "Akaya!" He exclaimed, easing the junior onto the ground as said boy started whimpering. "What's wrong? What happened?"

"I thought it was him. I thought he was going to hurt me. I don't want him to touch me." Kirihara mumbled as tears started rolling down his cheeks.

"Who was it? Who hurt you?"

Akaya didn't answer but lifted his knees to his chest, his face burying into his legs as the crying only got worse. The data gatherer's brow furrowed at Kirihara's unusual behavior and he knelt down beside the younger boy to see if he could get a proper answer.

He reached a hand out to the junior's shoulder, only to watch said boy flinch away from the touch before slapping at the hand.

"Akaya, are you alright?" Bunta leaned over and rubbed the head of black curls, only to find himself on the ground after being pushed down by Kirihara as he got to his feet and ran away from them.

"Akaya!" They all shouted after him but he just kept going.

He squeezed his eyes shut as he felt more tears come to his eyes and he felt the adrenaline pushing him to sprint further and further away from the group. He was so ashamed and embarrassed. Not only had he beat the living hell out of Bunta's face, but he had also sat on the ground crying like a little kid, just from hearing a word.

How could he hurt Bunta for calling him a name? And especially when the pink-haired boy had no idea that it was his father's favorite word for him. And then, he had just cried his eyes out like a baby in front of the whole team; oh gods he was so embarrassed!

"Hey, where are you going?"

Kirihara halted as he recognized the voice of the one calling him and he suddenly found himself running into said person's arms. "You idiot." He sniffed. "You knew this was going to happen, didn't you?"

The redhead laughed as his arms wrapped around the smaller boy. "Not at all. I came to see if I could get Bunta to forgive me but it looks like I need to be with you more than him right now." Sengoku pulled them apart and smiled down at Akaya as he wiped the tears away. "Tell me what happened."

"Marui-senpai yelled at me because he said I kissed you!" Kirihara shouted. "He messed up my perfect serve even though it was all your fault! Then he started yelling at me and called me a…" He froze.

"I beat him up. I didn't want to hurt him, but my anger just took over and all I could think about was how my dad always calls me that name, even when he's not hitting me. I screamed at Marui-senpai not to touch me, but Yanagi-senpai said he hadn't, and that's when I realized I had beat up Marui-senpai, and not that bastard. Then the next thing I know, I'm curled up on the ground crying, and everyone's looking at me, so I ran away."

"Hm." Sengoku hummed, rubbing the 'baby's' back with one hand while the other pet his hair.

"What do you mean 'hm'? I hit Marui-senpai!"

"But it wasn't your fault. How can you control yourself when you're called a name your father uses while he beats you? I probably would've reacted the same way you did if I had been in that situation."

"Akaya! Akaya!" The rest of the Rikkai regulars ran around the corner and into view of the two, and immediately Kirihara pushed Sengoku away before wiping his eyes.

"Oh, look who it is!" Bunta hissed as he caught sight of the other redhead. "I thought I told you not to come here?"

"I came to talk to you Bunta, but it seems now isn't the best time."

"You're damn right it's not!"

"Not now!" Renji said. "Akaya, what happened to you?"

"I can't tell you." The youngest boy answered.

"But you need to. We need to know why you acted like that."

"No." Akaya turned and buried his face into Sengoku's shirt, hugging him tightly and wishing the others would just go away.

"Bunta!" Jackal yelled, grabbing the small boy around the waist to keep him from attacking again.

"Let me go! He was touching my boyfriend! The little whore needs to learn to keep his hands to himself!"

"Bunta!" Sengoku called, his voice taking on a serious tone that it normally didn't have, which shut the pink-haired boy right up. "Stop talking!" He knelt down next to Kirihara and hugged the whimpering boy who grabbed at his shirt and squeezed hard enough for his nails to dig into the redhead's skin.

The group jumped back as the Yamabuki student suddenly stood up with their 'baby' in his arms and turned away from the tennis courts, ready to leave.

"Hold on! Where the hell are you going with him?" Niou shouted, grabbing onto Sengoku's uniform.

"Put him down this instant!" Bunta joined in. "You're my boyfriend!"

"Akaya has to finish practice! Put him down!"

"Shut up!" Kirihara screamed, and the commotion instantly stopped. "Let us go, and don't bother following!" He looked up to Sengoku who nodded, shrugged Niou's hands away and began to walk.

"Kiyosumi! Put him down this instant or… I'll break up with you!" Bunta threatened, crossing his arms and smiling satisfactorily when the other redhead's pace faltered.

"When then…" Sengoku turned back to look at his small lover as he set Kirihara on the ground. "I guess you shouldn't go looking for anyone else just yet." He grabbed the junior's hand in his own and they jogged away while the others stood dumbfounded on the Rikkai school grounds.

"Damn that idiot!" Marui huffed, stomping his foot. "Why do I put up with him?"

"I can think of a few reasons." Niou teased, ruffling the head of pink hair.

"Shut up!" The trickster's hand was swatted away.

"Something's wrong." Renji commented. "I think someone's been harming Akaya, against this will. That's why he acted the way he did just now."

"But, none of us even touched him. If someone was hurting him physically, then how would yelling at him set him off?"

"Perhaps it's not just physical. There's a great possibility that the person -if there really is one- beating him physically is also abusing him verbally. If so, then there was most likely a trigger word that made him snap; thus the reason he confused Marui with his abuser."

"But, what did I say that would upset him so much?" Bunta asked as his face was wiped off by Jackal. "I was just so angry about him kissing Kiyosumi, that I didn't even think about my words until they were already out of my mouth."

"Maybe it was the name you called him." Niou said. "He seemed pretty upset after you said he was a slut."

"I really said that?" Marui gasped. "I need to learn to control myself better when I'm angry then. I hate calling people that word, and then the one time I say it, I say it to Akaya who has a possible attacker who calls him the same thing." He hugged his doubles partner tight and shook his head. "What kind of person am I?"

"Hey, you were just jealous. You thought he was stealing your boyfriend away from you, right? It's not like you knew he was being beaten. You probably would have reacted differently if that were the case." The trickster ran a hand through his hair as he looked towards the gates of Rikkai. "Why would Akaya choose someone from Yamabuki over his own teammates though? Why can he trust that kid more than us?"

"Worried?" Yagyuu asked tauntingly, adjusting his glasses. "Or are you just nosy?"

Niou laughed and wrapped an arm around his doubles partner. "I could ask that same thing."

"Hm."

"What's going on here?"

Everyone turned to find Sanada glaring at them, his arms crossed tightly across his chest.

"And where's Akaya?"

"He left." Niou explained, before pointing to Bunta. "He left with Marui's boyfriend. Don't know where they went though."

"Why did he leave?" Sanada asked, his voice still menacing.

"That's something I think I should talk about with you privately, Sanada." Yanagi answered. "And I believe you will revoke his punishment for leaving when you hear what I have to say."

"I'll be the judge of that." The fukubuchou replied.

"Where the hell are we?" Kirihara questioned as he took in his surroundings.

"Just someplace Bunta and I used to go before we started…" Sengoku faded out and he chuckled softly.

"Fucking each other?" The junior finished.

"Well, that's one way to put it." The redhead laughed again. "I've always liked relaxing here. All the stress just disappears from my life." He found a spot of grass and lay down, his hands behind his head as he gazed up at the clear blue sky.

"Mm." Kirihara sat beside him with his knees bent and arms behind him for support. "It's working already."

"That's good. It's the whole reason I brought you here." Sengoku yawned and closed his eyes against the sun. "If you wait until sunset, that's when it's the most magnificent."

"Shut up." The junior slapped Sengoku's chest as the third year laughed. "You fucking pervert."

"Hey now, watch the language Akaya-kun. You'll never get a girlfriend if you keep talking like that."

"Fuck girls." Kirihara scoffed. "They're too emotional and clingy."

"So, you're like Bunta and me."

The younger boy let out a deep breath and scratched his scalp. "I guess."

"Don't worry, I won't say anything."

"Thanks."

"Ah."

Silence came between them. Kirihara fell backwards next to Sengoku and let his hands curl around fistfuls of grass on either side of his body. After a few minutes of staring at the sky, he gazed over at the redhead who looked peaceful, a feeling Kirihara hadn't felt in a long time.

He turned onto his side, an arm supporting his head. Noticing the shift of the other's body, Sengoku popped open a blue eye to see before closing it again.

"Hey." Akaya spoke after another few minutes.

"What?"

There was a pause. "Why did you kiss me?"

Sengoku turned his head away as he blushed. "I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know? How could not know the reason for kissing someone?"

"It's complicated. I mean, I love Bunta, and we are dating, but when I saw the change in your behavior at your house, it just made me act on an impulse. I was attracted to the new attitude I saw."

"Lame." Kirihara lay down completely once again, this time with his head resting against the redhead's chest.

"And yet, you're still here to put up with me."

"Idiot."

An arm came down to wrap around the junior's body, pulling the two boys even closer to each other.

"Would you do it again?"

"Do what?"

"Kiss me. Would you do it again? Even after I beat up Marui-senpai and ran away from my teammates?"

Sengoku shrugged. "I suppose. If I wasn't with Bunta, I probably would. But I really can't upset him anymore." His fingers slid through curly black hair. "So no more tempting me, okay?"

Akaya scoffed, rolling his blue-green eyes. "You only think I'm tempting you, when most of the time, I'm really trying to push you away."

"You're making me sound like some pervert that gets off on a struggle."

"Sure seems like you are. Why else would you keep coming back, even when I told you not to?"

"I was troubled by the way you acted." The third year admitted. "I wondered what could make you act so rude and violent." He breathed in deep. "But now I know, and I also know the side of you that acts more innocent than you'd ever let anyone else see. It's a cute quality you have."

"Where do you come up with all this lovey bullshit?"

"It's not bullshit if it's true."

Kirihara snorted and tilted his head to look up at Sengoku. "No one's ever called me cute."

"Because no one else has ever known as much about you as I do."

"Which is a huge shock to me. Only a few days ago, you were my last choice to tell anything to, besides those idiots at Fudomine and that Fuji Syuusuke." The arm tightened around the smaller boy and he suddenly found himself atop Sengoku's body. "What the hell are you doing?" He asked, moving to a sitting position where his legs straddled the redhead's and his hands were on either side of the older boy's head.

"I was just bringing us closer. But apparently, you prefer our go-to position." Sengoku smiled and brushed back some of the 'baby's' hair. "I actually like it this way. I can see your face… and you're blocking the sun out of my eyes."

"You asshole!" Kirihara shouted, slapping Sengoku across the chest playfully as he laughed. "It's a wonder how you ever got a boyfriend with the way you talk."

"Right back at you." Sengoku chuckled.

"Hm." Kirihara moved in closer, his eyes possessing a calm glint the redhead hadn't seen before. Sengoku thought they looked beautiful like that, without the reflections of hate and pain that were usually accompanied with a bad attitude. But now that the boy was acting differently, his eyes showed his true emotions. Every secret he kept was easily read, and every wish and desire was revealed. It made the Sengoku happy inside to know he had made those eyes shine like that.

Kirihara's pupils suddenly dilated as his eyes widened with one such desire before he pushed himself forward and pressed his lips to the redhead's.

Sengoku wasn't shocked by the action, having suspected it would happen once Kirihara had asked whether he would do it again or not, but the weird thing was, even though his mind told him it was wrong, his body told him it was right, and he almost always went with his body's demands. His hand came up behind Kirihara's head, fingers raking through the raven-colored strands of hair as they broke away for a breath.

Having not experienced a real kiss before, Akaya was a little more out of breath than Sengoku, but that didn't stop him from diving right back in once he inhaled a few gulps of air. They pressed together again, this time a little rougher, and a tongue swept across the junior's lips before he opened his mouth to grant it access. When it slipped in, a quiet moan escaped his throat, pushing Sengoku on more as his tongue explored the unfamiliar orifice it was in.

He pushed himself off the ground and sat up with the junior in his lap, caressing the smaller boy's backside with one hand, while the other remained in his hair.

His tongue slid back into his own mouth, allowing Akaya the opportunity to return his actions. The junior's own pink muscle pushed into Sengoku's orifice, swishing around his building saliva and grazing along his teeth before moving back to its home so he could inhale and swallow, separate from the third year's own mouth.

When they went back for the third time, no permission was needed as their tongues came together in the middle and swirled around each other, sending shivers up and down Akaya's spine at the unfamiliar, yet pleasuring sensations the kiss was giving him. His hands squeezed Sengoku's uniform and his legs did the same to the redhead's thighs before an almost inaudible squeak left his lips as Kiyosumi squeezed back… on his bottom.

"Wait!" Sengoku pulled back and gripped the younger boy's shoulders as he downcast his eyes to his lap. "We can't keep going. I already said that I wouldn't kiss you anymore while I'm with Bunta, and yet I went against my own word without a second thought." He gently moved Akaya back onto the grass. "I'm already in enough trouble with him, I don't need more."

"I kissed back. It's the same thing." Sengoku stood up and wiped his mouth, while the junior looked up at him from the ground.

"Are you going to tell him about this now?" He mumbled, ripping up grass with his hands.

"I have to. If I'm not honest, then that will only make things worse." He pat the mop of black hair. "Sorry Akaya-kun, but I can't come to talk to you anymore. Otherwise, things may go farther than they did today." He turned on his heel and walked away, leaving Kirihara to fume and toss the grass he had just pulled up at the retreating figure.

"Fuck you!" He yelled. "And fuck Marui-senpai! Go have fun fucking him, you fucking bastard!" He spun around until he was facing the edge of the hill he remained sitting on, and stared out at the reddening sky as the sun sunk down on the horizon.

"Magnificent, my ass." He growled. "How can it be when the one person you trust just turns around and abandons you like everyone else?" He drew his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them. "Fuck the sunset. Fuck the color red. Fuck redheads. They're just a bunch of assholes." His eyes closed against the wind and his chin rest on his knees as he sat cursing the world around him.

"Kiyosumi-kun!" Marui's mother squealed, hugging Sengoku tight as he stood in the doorway to her home. "It's been a while since I've seen you! How are you?"

"I'm fine, Marui-san. I was wondering if Bunta is here. We kind of… got into a disagreement."

"Is that why he's been so upset lately? Goodness, he's been acting like quite a brat these past few days, but he wouldn't tell me why. I should have figured it had to do with you." The woman sighed. "Oh! To answer your question, no, he's not here. He told me he was staying out late tonight. I think he was planning on visiting Yukimura-kun with Sanada-san. If you come in, I can give you the address. It would be nice if you two made-up."

"Okay, thanks." Sengoku smiled, stepping into the hallway of the Marui house.

"What do you want Marui?" Sanada looked down at the redhead gripping his arm as they walked towards the hospital their buchou was a patient at.

Ever since the fukubuchou had been told of Kirihara's disappearance with Bunta's boyfriend, the little tensai had clung to him like a child to its mother. He wouldn't stop grabbing Genichirou's hands, or hugging him, or holding his arm, and it was really starting to piss the taller boy off. He was not interested in being Bunta's toy for revenge and he certainly wasn't up for being one in public.

"Nothing. I just wanted to walk like this with you." Marui answered, smiling innocently. "I can feel all your muscles when I hold your arm like this. They're really big, Sanada-sama. I hope the rest of your body is in proportion to them."

"Stop." Sanada pulled his arm away. "Just because you're mad at your lover, doesn't mean that I want to help you turn it around on him. And don't use '-sama' on me. It sounds perverted."

"But Gen-sama!" Bunta pouted. "This has nothing to do with that cheating bastard! I just think you're really sexy and strong! Why can't you just take a compliment?"

"You're no fun." The redhead whined, walking in through the doors Sanada held open for him. "Is it because you're still hoping Yukimura-buchou will return the feelings you have for him?"

"Don't speak like that."

"It's true though, isn't it? You still think you have a chance with him." The two started up the stairs to Yukimura's floor. "Why do you still believe that? You know he's completely straight. He's actually planning to ask one of your female classmates out once he's out of here."

"How do you know so much about Yukimura?" Sanada asked, an eyebrow raised.

"When he speaks, I'm not too busy staring at his lips or crotch, so I actually hear what he says." Bunta laughed. "Hm?" He turned as he realized Sanada was no longer moving. "Gen-sama?"

"I don't think I can go up there." Sanada mumbled, his eyes focused on the floor. "If all that's true… then I can't do it."

"Aw, Gen-sama. We don't have to go then." Bunta went up a few steps until his face was even with Genichirou's. His fingers caressed the taller boy's cheeks and he smiled sweetly before leaning in and kissing the fukubuchou's nose. "Let Bunta make it better, okay?" He took Sanada's hand and led him back down the stairs, through the main lobby, then out the door.

Sengoku was running as fast as he could towards the hospital to catch Bunta, when he saw just the boy he was looking for coming through the doors, a capped boy behind him, holding his hand. Sengoku stopped moving as the smaller redhead walked right past him, not even bothering to look over or speak as went by.

"Hey Bunta! Wait!" Sengoku called, only to continue being ignored. "Bunta!" he chased after the two Rikkai members. "Bunta…" He said after catching up. "I'm sorry. I know what I did was wrong, and I'll do anything to make it up. Please, just stop acting like this."

"Why should I?" Marui suddenly shouted. "You just ran away with Akaya, even though I told you to leave him alone!"

"He needed to be alone, that's why I took him away!" The taller redhead explained.

"Where is that little slut?" Akaya's father shouted, stomping around the living room while his wife looked up numbers to call. "He's going to get it when he gets home! He knows his curfew is nine o'clock!" The man stared at his watch. "He's an hour and a half late! Where the hell is he?"

"Quiet down for a second. I'm calling another one of his teammate's parents." Kirihara's mother listened to the line pick up. "Hello? This is Kirihara Akaya's mother. Do you mind asking your son if he knows where Akaya might be? He hasn't come home yet." She went quiet for a few seconds. "Is that so? Well, thank you for telling me. Goodbye." The phone hung up and the two adults looked to each other. "They don't know either. But apparently he left school in the middle of practice with Marui-kun's…" She gulped. "…lover."

"'Lover?' You mean he's one of those gays?"

The woman nodded slightly, her eyes on the ground.

"Fuck! Who the hell is the bastard that took my son? When I find him, he's dead!" A lamp was tossed across the room before it smashed on the floor. "I'm going out to look for them! Stay here and call me if that slut decides to finally show up!" The oldest Kirihara male grabbed his jacket off a chair and left the house, slamming the door loudly behind him.

It was freezing outside, and his jacket had little resistance against the wind as he stumbled his way down the street, back to the home he dreaded living in. His cheeks were wet with tears, only making him shiver more against the cold of the night.

His cellphone vibrated in his pocket for the twentieth time, no doubt it being his mother calling him about his location, but he didn't want to answer; just a little longer, he wanted to go without being yelled at, being lied to… being rejected and abandoned. He wasn't sure how much more of the mental pain he could take. It was worse than the physical pain.

He turned a corner and searched out his house, sixth one down on the right. The lights, both inside and out, were on. His father was probably screaming his head off and breaking all the furniture in anger for his late arrival home, and it scared him to think of what would happen once he opened the door and stepped into the hall, but for some reason, he felt like he needed it. He needed the physical- inflicted wounds to drown out all the others; he needed them to clear his mind of a certain redhead he had actually trusted, had actually liked outside of his tennis skill.

But what was this other feeling that made his heart ache? It wasn't familiar to him. All he knew was that it hurt more and more every time he thought of Yamabuki's bubbly, redheaded regular. He had walked away, just like that. After he had returned the junior's kiss; after he had taken it further -to a point where Kirihara had actually thought that he'd completely forgotten about his lover. And then, out of nowhere, he was pushed away, rejected by the one who had originally kissed him, the one who wouldn't stop coming back to him despite his orders to, the one who had given him hope that things would get better, the one that actually did make things better whenever he was around.

He felt like his heart had shattered into a million pieces, and it was all Sengoku Kiyosumi's fault. He was the one who broke it.

He shuffled up the front steps of his home and wiped his eyes of tears before turning the handle of the door and entering.

"Akaya!" His mother gasped from the next room over, and before he knew it, he was wrapped up in her arms. She cried into his hair and rocked him back and forth, acting quite unlike he had expected of her. It was nice.

"I was so worried! I thought you had been kidnapped, or hit by a car, or killed or…" She trailed off as the sobs grew louder.

"Mother…" The junior felt the tears return before he was hugging her back, his face buried in her shoulder. He was crying for two reasons at that point.

"Akaya, sweetie, I'm so glad you're alright." The two pulled away and wiped their faces. "You didn't mean to stay out so late, right? It was only an accident, right?"

Kirihara looked to the floor. "No, I knew I was late, and I did it on purpose. I just wanted to be alone for a little while. A lot of stuff happened today."

"Your father is going to be furious when he finds out about this. Why don't you just go to your room and lay down, and I'll tell him the police brought you home because you got lost. And I'll heat up dinner for you too."

"Really?" Akaya asked, suddenly wondering if he were in a dream.

"Ah. I don't want to see what he'll do after this. I'm disappointed, Akaya, but it's nothing compared to what I'll feel if I hear him harming you as severely as he will if he finds out the truth." She kissed her son's forehead. "Now, go upstairs. I'll be up soon."

"Okay." The junior nodded. "Thank you Mother."

"You're welcome sweetie." The woman smiled.

"Sweetie, are you still awake?" The boy's mother pushed open his door and carried over a bowl of food for him as he sat up in bed, rubbing his eyes. "Good. Here's some dinner for you. And I called your father to tell him you're back here. He sounded furious, but I'll make sure to cool him down before he comes up here to talk to you."

"Mm." Akaya took the bowl and was just about to take a bite when he looked back up at his… smiling parent, and decided to ask the question he'd been holding in all night. "Mother, why are you acting like this?"

The woman sat down on the edge of her son's bed and rustled his hair. "When you didn't come home on time, I was worried that you had left for good. Sure, you were only gone two hours later than allowed, but it really scared me; I thought you had finally had enough, and I couldn't bear to live with myself if my son had run away because of the way I acted towards him. I know we make you feel miserable, and sometimes it may seem like we're being unreasonable, but we just want to make sure you grow up to be a good person. After those two hours, I realized I need to change. I shouldn't be yelling at you, or hitting you, and your father definitely shouldn't be doing what he does..." She paused and kissed Akaya's cheek. "I promise I won't do those things to you anymore, sweetie. If I ever do, then… then I'll do all your chores and laundry and all that for a week, for each time I yell at or hit you. Does that sound fair?"

The boy sat dumbfounded, not really knowing if he was still awake or not. How could this be happening? His life had just hit an all-time low, and his mother suddenly comes out with this. It was like being in a movie. As soon as the main character's life hits rock bottom, everything starts to get better. But now, it was real life, and it was happening to him. He would actually have a 'normal' parent, one that actually seemed to care for him and would act like her sweet self, not only to guests, but to her own son as well. She would even stick up for him when it came to his father.

Maybe someone up there changed their mind about him, and didn't want to see him suffer anymore.

"I'm home!" Akaya's father suddenly called angrily from the front door of the house. "Where are you, you little whore?"

There was yelling. A lot of yelling, overlapped by more yelling, so that the boy couldn't even understand most of it. He was scared, but at the same time, he was curious as to what was being said.

He tip-toed to the top of the stairs and knelt down, his head turned so his better ear could take in his parents' quarrel.

"I told you he got lost! You know he's not the type of boy to just wander the streets!" His mother protested.

"You expect me to believe that? He ran off with some pervert, then somehow got lost on his way home?"

"I'm not lying to you!"

"You better not be! If I find out that you're protecting him, you'll be picking yourself up off the floor!" A crashing sound echoed through the house, and Akaya figured his father had just thrown a chair.

"Please calm down! He didn't do anything wrong! Just let it go!"

"Calm down? Let it go? That little slut ran off with some homosexual, and you're acting like you're okay with it!"

There was a long silence, before another piece of furniture was tossed.

"You bitch! How dare you take their side with this! They're a bunch of freaks! Our son is becoming friends with them, and you're just going to let him?"

"Who the hell cares?" Akaya's mother shot back. "He should be able to hang out with whoever he wants! I don't even care if he's gay himself! He's my son! I'll love him no matter what!"

The woman whimpered as the sound of a slap reached the youngest Kirihara's ears and he covered his mouth with his hand as her body slammed to the floor. He knew his father was abusive towards him, but he had never heard of the man harming his wife. That bastard wasn't acting like that for the reason the 'baby's' mother said he was, he was just an asshole that liked to hit people and blame his problems on others. Even if his mother did change, there was no way his father ever would.

"Akaya, sweetheart, get back in bed. It's late." A hand played with his hair and he looked through the tears he didn't realize he had been shedding to see his mother, a red hand mark across her cheek as she too cried.

"Mother… you can't… we must get away from him…" The boy whispered, hugging his female parent tight. "I don't want him to hurt you…"

"It's alright sweetie. Let's just go to bed, okay?" She took him by the hand and led him back to his room, where she tucked him in and kissed his forehead before walking out.

A door downstairs slammed shut, most likely the one leading out to the street, making Akaya smile. It was only him and his mother for the rest of the night. No more yelling, no more hitting, and no more worrying about his sexual preferences.

His mother… she didn't care if he liked other boys. All this time he had been so afraid to tell her, and she was okay with it. Now he'd be able to tell her about Sengoku, and how he had his heart broken by that damn redhead. She'd probably know how to make him feel better, how to get him to move on, or even how to win the bastard back with those seducing techniques she was so confident about.

But did he really want to get Sengoku back? After he was just left alone so abruptly and told never to see him again?

A grin came to his face, one that suggested something devious was going to occur.